The Return
by AllUNeedIsFaith
Summary: SANA. Sequel to ‘The Storm’. Walt returns and the poison needle rears its ugly head once again...


**Title: The Return**

**Summary: SANA. Sequel to 'The Storm'. Walt returns and the poison needle rears its ugly head once again...**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.**

**Author Notes: First of all, I want to thank everyone who has ever reviewed, you guys are seriously the best and all deserve hugs, chocolate and many cookies. I love you guys :grin:**

**Okay, I know that Ana has spent a ridiculous amount of time unconscious, but for the first time I'm gonna take a look at Sawyer's point of view during her little trips to La La Land, so stick with me eh? This is more of a between chapter, moving from one drama to the next and so on, so don't expect too much.**

**Also, I was thinking of getting a C2 together, since there is absolutely no representation in the Sana department, and that's just sad... So drop me a line if anyone's interested...**

**Another choice quote: "Pop goes Kate's head? Please? Damn. And just when head popping was nigh..."**

**As always, have a great read, guys.**

Ana woke up on the jungle floor. Naked. If she was alone she would think that it was the start of some lame movie about islands, crashes, monsters, and waiting for a rescue plane. But she wasn't alone, and she still had her memory so she knew why the only thing covering her was Sawyer's arm and the ripped shirt she had previously been wearing which now acted as a blanket.

The previous night's activities came back to her and she couldn't help but smile at the memory. It had been memorable, that was for sure. But it wasn't just about the happenings, it was about what it meant. Because, unlike last time, this was about more than the sex. This was about forgiveness and, as new as it was to both of them, this was about love and trust and all the vulnerability that being in love forced you to have.

She looked over at Sawyer, whose mouth was slightly open as he breathed deeply. He mumbled something about murderous bunny rabbits before scratching his chin and smacking his lips together. Ana chuckled softly and a wide grin spread across her face at the strange actions of the Southerner, god did he make her laugh, even when he was unconscious.

A few minutes later his eyes opened gradually and he blinked, trying to right his vision. Ana smiled.

"Good morning." She whispered and he smiled sleepily.

"Mornin'." Then his eyes seemed to go to something behind her and his brow furrowed, "Uh, Chica, is there a reason why Norman Bates Junior is standing behind you?" Ana's eyes furrowed in confusion as she turned around to see...

A small boy standing about a metre away from them, staring at them. His dark eyes were wide and his mouth was slightly open. Well, that was enough to wake her up properly. She scrambled up, taking the shirt with her. This caused Sawyer to yelp as it caused _him_ to be in a very naked state in front of the young boy. He frantically tried to find something to cover himself with and eventually settled on a palm leaf as he scrambled up next to Ana.

"Do you know where my Dad is?" He asked innocently and the two adults looked at each other and swallowed hard. This was going to be painful. Current states of undress aside.

"You mind if we get dressed first, kid?" Ana asked gruffly, she wasn't really a morning person when it came to kids and being naked in front of the aforementioned kids. The boy nodded and gulped, frozen in fear at the harshness of the angry woman in front of him.

"Turning around might help." She suggested darkly and he turned around so quickly that he got a face full of branches. While he sputtered and tried to get the leaves out of his mouth, Ana rolled her eyes. When he finally got himself sorted, walking past a few trees, blush firmly in place, and the adults got around to dressing themselves properly.

There was a slight scare when they couldn't find Sawyer's pants, but they were discovered in the nearest tree, hanging on the lowest branch. While they were getting dressed Ana asked Sawyer who the young boy was, other than Michael's son (something she figured since he referred to Michael's less than sane state of mind plus the fact that the boy did look like his father). Sawyer paused for a moment, hands frozen halfway through doing up his shirt button.

"His name's Walt," Sawyer turned to face Ana, finishing doing up his shirt, "The Others took him."

"So now he's back." Ana stated and Sawyer nodded.

"I guess he is." He responded and offered her a grimace, "So how about we go comfort him, I think you made him cry." Ana pulled a face at this and punched him in the arm. He chuckled and winced at the punch that wasn't so soft. Ana just gave him a playful dirty and walked off in the direction that Walt had walked off in. Sawyer followed her, rubbing his arm and making small noises of pain.

"You weren't meant to make me cry." He yelled after her before jogging to catch up as they proceeded to lead Walt to the armoury where his father was being held.

----

It was the first time in a while that they had gone in the Hatch, Ana being excused from duty since she was disabled, and Sawyer refused to leave her side. They both headed right for the armoury, bypassing Eko and Desmond, to whom Ana offered a nod and a smile. Sawyer, who was following close behind like a child who had been disciplined, gave Desmond a death look and Eko a smirk.

Ana unlocked the armoury door and let Walt go in. Walt didn't question why his father was locked up, instead he just rushed in and was swept up by his surprised father. They had a heartfelt reunion and Ana, feeling a sudden bout of dizziness, went over to the couch opposite and sat down. Sawyer followed her, worry clear on his face.

"You alright, Chica?" He asked and she just shook her head, feeling a little like she was on 'shrooms or some other drugs that made her feel like she was floating. The out-of-body feeling was getting stronger than her grip on reality.

"I just feel kinda..." She trailed off and her hand went to her neck. If Sawyer had been in the know about the whole poison-needle event, he would have been worried since her hand was exactly were it had pierced her skin, but he was clueless. He took her free hand in his and held it, as if trying to ground her. His eyes showed his concern and worry for the woman he loved as he tried to find a way to fix her problem.

"It's okay." He murmured and she blinked, still trying to stop her head from spinning and bring herself back to earth. His other hand went to her cheek and she leaned into the touch, her eyes fluttering shut and she swallowed hard as she desperately tried to hold onto Sawyer and the reality that he provided for her, the anchor.

"I'm not..." Ana started, her voice weak, then her eyes rolled up in her head and she fell sideways onto the ground. Sawyer's eyes widened and he was at her side in a second.

"Ana! Ana Lucia!" But to no avail, she was out like a light and he couldn't do anything about it. Sawyer wasn't sure if he should move her or not, so he left her as she was, not wanting to cause any further damage. He quickly turned around to Mr Eko, who was now behind him concern furrowing his brow, and told him to get Jack. Mr Eko nodded, immediately starting to sprint down to the beach.

Desmond got a pillow, which Sawyer took with a thankful grimace and put it under Ana's head gently. Pushing back her hair he grimaced.

"This happens _way_ too often." He whispered to her as he traced his fingers down her jaw line, smiling sadly as he watched Ana as she remained dead to the world.

Jack arrived not too long after Eko had gone out for him and went to Ana's side immediately, taking her pulse. Then he looked at her neck and his face went white. He looked up at Sawyer and swallowed, obviously having bad news but not wanting to tell it to him yet.

"Let's get her onto the bed." He said and Sawyer nodded, taking Ana in his arms and going over to the bed, laying her on it gently. He squeezed her hand softly and leant over, kissing her on the forehead gently. Then he turned to Jack, wanting answers on why the woman he loved was now out cold for the millionth time in the space of a few weeks.

"Alright now, this is gettin' kinda ridiculous Doc." Sawyer said, his words not showing the underlying threat that was portrayed through his steely gaze. Jack held the gaze for a few moments, before crumbling under it.

"There's something she didn't want me to tell you-" Jack started and Sawyer cut in, anger oozing from him.

"And what the bloody hell," At a glare from Eko he dropped his voice to a hushed whisper, "What the bloody hell would that be, Doc?" Jack hesitated again and Sawyer shook his head at him, his eyes showing once again that he was on the brink of throttling him again.

"The reason she went unconscious after the boat appeared was that something-someone fired a poison dart which hit her in the neck. It could have been fatal if it had nicked the carotid artery-" Jack started to explain, sinking into medical jargon but Sawyer got quickly annoyed.

"English, doc." Sawyer demanded impatiently and Jack rolled his eyes.

"Coulda killed her. Didn't. Wasn't sure of the effect. This is the effect." Jack gestured to Ana who was lying on the bed. Sawyer stepped closer to Ana, and only now noticed that on the far side of her neck was a small bruise that was starting to purple and looked like it was getting angrier -and larger - by the second. Then he noticed that perspiration was starting to appear on Ana's forehead and put his hand on her forehead, to find that she was burning up.

He turned to Jack, his eyes flashing dangerously.

"What the hell is happening to her?" He hissed and Jack stepped forward, feeling her temperature. He then tilted her head sideways slightly so he could see her wound better. He gently pressed down on the area, feeling it.

"It's inflamed." Jack commented, his eyebrows knotting together.

"What the hell's that meant to mean?" Sawyer asked, he was really starting to get sick of Jackass and his constant medical terminology and saying things that didn't mean a rat's ass to him. He wanted to damn well know what the hell was going on with Ana, and he didn't want to hear it in some fancy shmancy doctor terms. English, please.

"I think some of the needle is still in there... Fragments of it would have caused internal haemorrhaging. It's probably infected, hence the high core body temperature." Jack was mostly talking to himself again and Sawyer glared at him.

"How bout repeating that for the others of us in English, College Boy?" Sawyer asked through gritted teeth. It was nice to know that Ana was in the hands of a professional, but it wasn't doing such great things for his temper.

"She has an infection." Jack deadpanned and Sawyer rolled his eyes.

"I caught that bit, _Doc_. I meant the other part. The... Hemorr-whats-its." Sawyer said, acting very much like the suspicious parents of a doctor's patient.

"That means bleeding. Internal bleeding. As in bleeding inside your skin." Jack explained as if he was talking to a child. Sawyer growled at him. Yes, god's honest truth, he literally growled. And suddenly, the list of similarities between Sawyer and Wolverine became longer. Being of southern persuasion, not liking using full words, a quick temper, fighting, hating the 'typical suck-up wannabe-leader good guy' (read Cyclops and Jack), being involved in a love triangle (although Sawyer had now happily moved on), and now growling.

"Can you fix her?" Sawyer asked, looking down at Ana and feeling his heart constrict suddenly. Jack saw this and felt sympathy for Sawyer, so he replied with a reassuring tone.

"I'll do everything I can, Sawyer." He said and Sawyer shot him a thankful look. Then Jack left, along with Eko, in search of meds that could help Ana overcome the infection. All this time, Sawyer stayed by Ana's side.

Desmond, who stayed behind to push the button, brought him a chair and Sawyer took it gladly, thanking him stiffly. He sat next to her, her hand in his as he watched her in her fitful sleep. He wished he could just touch her forehead and be able to relieve her of all the pain and anguish she was in, because nothing broke his heart more than watching her as she suffered in her dreams. He went through it the first time, and it nearly killed him that time. Now he was quieter in his own pain, but that didn't mean that he felt it any less.

In fact, he felt it more.

Because, unlike last time, her nightmares were showing through. She whimpered, occasionally thrashed around, and even cried, tears making their way slowly down her cheeks. Sawyer felt his chest constrict as he watched all of this unfold and wished more than anything that he could just go into her subconscious and make everything right. She didn't deserve to suffer, not any more than the rest of them did.

"She'll be alright, Brotha." Desmond reassured him from his spot at the button but Sawyer didn't look at him. He heard the words, and felt some slight comfort at them, but he still remained the silently grieving lover.

He pressed his lips to Ana's hands and closed his eyes, in a silent prayer for his lover's soul.

_God? It's me, Sawyer. _He paused as he thought about what he had just 'said',_ Geez, next thing I'll be jumpin' around saying "I must, I must, I must increase my bust." And that book had nowhere near enough sex. Might wanna take a look at that, next time you're in the neighbourhood. Anyways, that ain't why I'm here, talkin' to you and all. It's about Ana. _He snickered, _Isn't everything?_

He looked down at the woman who finally seemed at peace, or for the moment anyway.

_All I really wanted to say is, I know I ain't the most upstanding Christian, or citizen or anything like that, but she's a good person. She's got a heart the size of bloody Mount Everest, she defends the underdog and she's spent her whole life keeping people safe from... Well, from people like me. She doesn't deserve to go like this, not like this._

_She should go out at least saving someone, doing right, saving the whole goddamn - sorry - world. Not by some infection cos of some goddamn - sorry - 'needle'. You of all people should know that. So please, don't let this happen. Not to her. She deserves more than this. And you bloody well know it, so don't you let her die or I'll-_

Sawyer had to think about what to say after that. He was ready to threaten God, but how can you threaten Him? He was a born and bred Christian (even if he wasn't the most devout follower) and knew that it was pretty much impossible, you didn't have to be the Pope to know that. But if he lost Ana, he would go to heaven, hell, and everywhere in between to get some sort of justice.

Then he realised that threatening God wouldn't exactly leave Him wanting to help him. So he swallowed and looked down at Ana, feeling a lump develop in his throat.

_Sorry. I just... Please help her._

"Please." Sawyer whispered and he rested his head on Ana's shoulder, squeezing his eyelids shut, trying to hold back the tears which were threatening.

"I'll pray for her." Sawyer heard from behind him, and this time turned to see Desmond sitting awkwardly at the computer, watching them. Sawyer, instead of lashing out at the Scotsman like he would have done in the past, just turned up the ends of his lips stiffly in an attempt at a smile.

"Thanks." Sawyer choked out and Desmond grimaced. Sawyer was about to turn back to Ana when Desmond cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry, about what happened..." Desmond seemed to need to clear it off his conscious with every party involved and Sawyer froze for a moment, anger flaring inside him as his jaw clenched momentarily. Then he looked down at Ana, who looked about ready to cry and was whimpering in pain and the anger turned into agony for her. And a good spot of agony does wonders for a person's ability to forgive. And this time around, the person was Sawyer.

"It's fine. I got what was comin' to me." Sawyer responded gruffly, his voice still strained from the threatening tears.

"I'm still sorry." Desmond repeated and Sawyer offered him a grimace. He knew that the Scotsman was being completely honest with him and that earned him a few brownie points, but Sawyer had already forgiven him and he could tell that this may get repetitive if the Scotsman didn't quite understand that he had been forgiven.

"It wasn't your fault." Sawyer said and this caused Desmond to protest, obviously thinking that Sawyer was blaming Ana.

"It wasn't Ana-" He started but Sawyer just shook his head, silencing him.

"I meant me." Sawyer said quietly and Desmond's mouth went into a silent 'o'. Then silence prevailed as Desmond looked at Sawyer in a new light and Sawyer's gaze went back to Ana.

"She loves you." Desmond said quietly and Sawyer looked at him, confusion clear on his face.

"She told you?" Sawyer's brow furrowed at that but Desmond shook his head.

"She didn't have to." He said and Sawyer's face softened for a moment. That was when he let down his guard, a rare moment that his frayed nerves and emotions caused.

"I need her to be here. She's the one person who understands, who gets me. Who knows me. I mean, we _just_ fixed everything," Sawyer rolled his eyes, which were shining with unshed tears, "Lends weight to my 'angst is the meaning of life here on the island' theory."

"It'll be alright, Brotha. Jack's gonna come back with some miracle cure, and he's gonna fix her, and she's gonna wake up and you'll have some earth-shatterin' kiss and the world'll be right again. Promise." Desmond reassured Sawyer with a wide grin and Sawyer couldn't help but smile back at him.

"Yeah, I think it will." Sawyer agreed, the agony now replaced with hope as he looked back at Ana and felt a warm feeling as he somehow _knew_ that everything would be okay.

That was when Jack walked in, small bottle and needle in hand. He quickly went about to his business and Sawyer let him have his room, watching from afar. Jack injected her and then looked over at Sawyer, who was standing beside Desmond.

"She'll be fine in a day or so." Jack said with a smile and Sawyer couldn't help but smile as well. Jack then left, looking like he had something else to do. And it was practically guaranteed that it had something to do with Kate, angst and tortured looks. Sawyer watched him go, not completely lamenting the loss, but still glad that Jack had managed to pull another rabbit out of his hat in terms of health care. Desmond, being in touch with human emotions, realised that Sawyer would want some time alone with Ana, so he also left.

Sawyer stepped back next to Ana and smiled softly down at her. He reached out and let his fingertips rest on her cheek. At his touch her forehead relaxed, losing the tension which had previously wrinkled it. He swallowed and leaned forward, pressing his lips to her forehead.

"I love you." He whispered and withdrew, grimacing. Then he retrieved the chair and sat by her side, waiting for her to wake up.


End file.
